18 April: San Marino Grand Prix Preview - Jordan Grand
Prix
Jordan Grand Prix is looking forward to the first European race of the 2005 season after a productive test at Paul
Ricard, in which the team’s two drivers completed more than 1000km of test mileage. Their schedule concentrated on race simulation
work for reliability testing along with further work on Bridgestone’s tyre programme and some developments with the car,
contributing to the team’s hope for improvements in performance for the San Marino Grand Prix and the forthcoming races.
Team
quotes on the San Marino Grand Prix
Narain Karthikeyan “The test at Paul Ricard last week went very well. We
did a lot of work trying to find the right Bridgestone tyres for San Marino but also for the next European races. We have also
tested some new parts for the car and we are definitely making some progress. I did a lot of kilometres and I am particularly happy
with my fitness. I do not really know what to expect from Imola because out of the Jordan drivers, I am the only one that has never
driven on this circuit. It looks like I will need to use the kerbs a lot to get a good time, which will probably be a bit tricky.
But having said that, Malaysia was also difficult, however I did well there so I am ready for the challenge and I will give my best.“
Tiago
Monteiro “The two-day test we had at Paul Ricard was quite successful and interesting. We worked on some tyre construction
with Bridgestone and I think we are on the right direction. It was difficult to have a proper idea, as we were the only Bridgestone
runners at the test. We also tested different pieces for the car not only for Imola but also for the forthcoming races. It was
definitely a good test and a good motivation to move on and push harder every time. Imola is not an easy circuit for the kind of car
we have at the moment but generally I like this type of track. It will be very bumpy on the kerbs and very violent. Reliability
throughout the weekend will again be very important and we will make sure we will keep on doing a good job as we have done since the
beginning of the season and have a good result at the end.”
Robert Doornbos “I am really looking forward to
Imola because it is the first round in Europe. I know the circuit very well, as it is where I had my first success in F3000 last
year. I really enjoy driving there. It is a special track because you really need to set up the car for the high kerbstones and this
will be a challenge for the drivers and the team. The three-week gap seems an eternity; I cannot wait to drive on Friday.”
Trevor
Carlin, Sporting Director “We are really looking forward to going to Imola this coming weekend. We had a very successful
test at Circuit Paul Ricard last week, where the drivers learnt a lot about the car and the team made a few improvements. Hopefully
we can keep on building on our promising start to the season and keep improving in general on all different aspects.“
Testing
Update Tiago Monteiro and Narain Karthikeyan carried out two days of testing for Jordan Grand Prix on the Circuit Paul Ricard,
in the South of France on 14 and 15 April, contributing to the team's preparations for the San Marino Grand Prix. The drivers’
schedule consisted of intensive work on Bridgestone’s tyre test programme, set-up work and potential modifications for forthcoming
races. Karthikeyan completed the greatest number of laps on the Thursday with 183 laps. Between them the drivers clocked up a total
testing mileage of over 1000km and fastest lap time was on the last day with Monteiro’s time of 1.00.505 (66 laps).
Paul
Monaghan, Chief Race Engineer said "It was an encouraging test as we have made a little bit of progress; especially in
taking a couple of small steps forward in terms of tyre development for Imola and the races beyond. We have done a lot of work on
the set-up of the car, which looked quite promising. We have added more than 1000km to the car’s mileage without serious problems
so the reliability is good. Now the drivers need to develop their knowledge of the car a little bit more and get used to the kerbed
circuit."
